From 7 to 12 April 2025, the TransLearnN Spring School of Course C3 “Sustainable Pathways and Risk Management in Times of Crises” was held at the Technical University of Liberec, Czech Republic. The project, and consequently the Spring School, is co-funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnerships programme.
The event, supported by the Erasmus+ programme in the field of Capacity Building in Higher Education, aimed to develop practical decision-making skills in crisis situations and to enhance understanding of the complex interactions of multiple crises, thereby strengthening the capacity for relevant and sustainable decision-making and action. The main objective of the course was to equip future professionals with the skills to effectively manage risks and develop sustainable solutions to address challenges and opportunities arising during periods of multiple crises.
The programme brought together 14 students, 7 academic course developers, and 3 stakeholder experts from Ukraine, Poland, and the Czech Republic. The course was developed by representatives of various Ukrainian partner universities involved in the project. In addition, experts from NTU (Ukraine), Rzeszów University of Technology (Poland), and the Technical University of Liberec (Czech Republic) participated in the programme
The event was organised by the Technical University of Liberec under the supervision of the project supervisor, Katarzyna Łoś. The Spring School was officially opened by the Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of TUL, and the invited lecturers—three professors from the Technical University of Liberec—ensured a high academic and scientific standard of the programme.
The main task of the Spring School was to develop students’ competencies in the following areas:
Public administration – preparing future public officials for effective governance in crisis situations;
Economic sectors – training representatives of various branches of the economy;
Civic engagement – fostering the skills of civil society actors and community leaders.
The intended learning outcomes included:
the ability to make informed decisions in crisis situations;
the capacity to remain on a sustainable development pathway under conditions of limited resources;
the ability to generate sustainable solutions to address challenges and leverage opportunities during periods of multiple crises;
the synthesis of sustainable, multi-approach solutions across different sectors;
the integration of diverse administrative and management skills to support interdisciplinary synthesis of sustainable solutions.
The Spring School consisted of two logically interconnected phases.
The first phase (24–28 March 2025, online) introduced students to the theoretical foundations of the course through a series of online lectures, which laid the groundwork for subsequent practical activities.
The second phase (7–12 April 2025, on-site in Liberec) comprised an intensive hands-on programme hosted at the campus of the Technical University of Liberec. The programme included:
daily practical sessions involving teams from different Ukrainian universities;
presentations and experience-sharing activities between Ukrainian and European universities;
expert lectures delivered by academics from the Technical University of Liberec and partner institutions;
guided visits to university laboratories equipped with state-of-the-art facilities supplied by industrial partners such as Škoda and Volkswagen;
exposure to innovative practices implemented by Czech academic and professional counterparts.
In addition to the intensive academic programme, participants had a unique opportunity to engage with the cultural heritage of the Czech Republic. Students visited Prague, one of Europe’s most renowned historic cities, where they explored its rich history, visited the Municipal Library, and attended Prague University. This experience enhanced participants’ understanding of the European educational tradition and broader cultural context.
Furthermore, participants learned about the history of the city of Liberec and its role in sustainable urban development within the framework of the NetZeroCities initiative, which added a practical dimension to the theoretical knowledge of sustainable development. A thematic visit to an industrial enterprise provided insight into the real-world application of sustainable production principles and risk management practices.
Upon completion of the course, participants gained:
additional competencies in risk management and decision-making in crisis situations;
a certificate of non-formal education under an international programme (2 ECTS credits);
the opportunity for credit recognition within their degree programmes at their home universities;
experience of international academic mobility at one of the leading technical universities in the Czech Republic.
The final presentation of learning outcomes and a discussion of opportunities for further course improvement took place on the last day of the programme, confirming the high quality and strong practical relevance of the knowledge and skills acquired.
